


An Ardent Declaration

by unrestrainedpassion



Category: The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: M/M, So sue me, Tumblr Prompt, Valentine's Day Fluff, i just want these idiots to date
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-08
Updated: 2015-02-08
Packaged: 2018-03-11 05:18:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 820
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3315527
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unrestrainedpassion/pseuds/unrestrainedpassion
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt: "I literally painted the entire town red. You happy now?"</p><p>Leo shows up at Nico's doorstep the morning after Valentine's Day, covered in blood-red paint and talking of things Nico doesn't remember.</p>
            </blockquote>





	An Ardent Declaration

"I literally painted the entire town red. Happy now?"

Nico blinked in shock. Leo Valdez stood in his doorway, looking like the Civil War had vomited on him and dipped him in pureed strawberries for good measure. “What?”

“Last night,” Leo said, shouldering his way into the tiny apartment. Visits weren’t common from Camp kids these days; the transportation was too expensive (see: certain one-eyed cabbie ladies were thrilled to have a monopoly and were now charging exorbitant prices for passage to New Rome). “Last night you Iris-messaged me.”

“I.. did?” Nico asked, hurriedly clearing up the messy parlor. Last night’s beer bottles clinked together as he swept them into his arms, carrying them to the trash. “What did I say?”

Leo made to sit down on the white couch, and then paused before Nico could stop him. “You don’t remember?”

“No.”

“You got drunk on Valentine’s Day.”

Nico nodded, passing a hand over his face. “That I did, yes—as I do every year.”

“And, I mean, I may have been drunk, too.”

“Believable,” said Nico. Hand on his chest, he pushed Leo into the kitchen. He thought about how firm the Hispanic kid is, and then (with a slightly harder-than-necessary shove to clear his head) backed him to the sink. “Do you know you’re covered in paint?”

“Well, yeah. S’what happens when you’re programming robots to paint all of New Rome red.”

Nico washed his hands in the kitchen sink, mulling over a reply that wasn’t “What the Hell?”

“Did you paint my apartment building red?” he asked, attempting to clean Leo’s red-stained cheeks.

Leo rolled his eyes, shoving Nico’s washcloth away from his face. “All of New Rome, like you asked.”

“Like _I_ asked? What, you think I want Reyna to sick her metal dogs on my sorry ass?”

“You were the one that wanted an ardent, over-the-top declaration of eternal love, _pendejo_.”

“Dec—what?”

Leo gaped. “What _do_ you remember?”

Nico shrugged uncomfortably. Where was this going? “Deciding whiskey was a better choice than beer?”

Leo wrinkled his nose. “On what planet?”

“I don’t like going to the bathroom when I’m drunk. Or cleaning the toilet the following morning.”

“Smart.” Leo nodded approvingly. “That’s why I like you.”

Nico didn’t say anything, instead gazing skeptically at Leo.

“Shit, this whole thing was to prove I do like you—” Leo’s eyes widened. “If you don’t remember, will I have to do something else?” He hopped onto the counter, and Nico realized Leo was tracking red paint everywhere. “Or maybe you really were too drunk, and you don’t want—”

“Leo—” Nico grabbed his shoulder, immobilizing the fidgeting boy. “Since I don’t remember, why don’t you remind me?”

He gulped, and Nico watched, entranced, as his Adam’s apple bobbed. Should he lick it?

“It’s just—last night you said you were always lonely on Valentine’s Day, and that you wished someone would do something ridiculous and sweet for you. And I said I liked you, because—well, because I do, I guess—and you wanted me to prove it to you—by the way, I definitely didn’t say anything lewd there, definitely not—and you asked me to undertake the Twelve Labors of Hercules or whatever, to which I said “fuck no,” obviously, and—”

“Slow the hell down, Valdez, seriously,” Nico said, throwing caution to the wind and stepping between Leo’s legs as he sat on the counter. “English is not my first language.”

“Oh, please. You’re more fluent than I am.” Judging by his expression, Leo was too caught up in the story and hadn’t yet realized how close Nico was. “And I’m really fluent. Anyway, so you said I had to paint your apartment red. You said—you said if I didn’t, you’d never believe that I lo—like you. And then I said I’d paint all of New fucking Rome red if it’d make you fall for me, so I did.”

“Sidewalks too?”

“All of it,” Leo said, shaking his head, curls bouncing. “Various shades of maroon to pink.”

“Just because drunk-me was a complete asshole?” Nico leaned forward and stood on his toes, Leo’s breath on his lips. Now that he knew why Leo was here, he felt like doing daring things he wouldn’t normally even think about.

Leo glanced away from Nico, brown eyes blazing. “There’s nothing wrong with wanting special.”

Nico laughed. “There’s special, and there’s painting New Rome without Frank or Reyna’s consent.”

“Oh.”

“Next time, just talk to me when we’re both sober, okay?”

Leo looked away. “Yeah. I’ll go.” He shifted his weight, ready to slide down the counter, and froze when he realized his legs were practically wrapped around Nico’s waist. “ _Oh_.”

“ _Oh_ ,” mocked Nico, curling a fist in the other’s shirt.

Leo pecked him on the corner of his mouth. “Oh,” he whispered happily.

Nico inhaled deeply, enveloping Leo in his arms and kissing him fully.

Oh, indeed.

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this in the middle of writing my Jasico fic to erase any writer's boredom before it got too bad. I think it's cute as all hell. Sue me.


End file.
